Inter
We analyzed 172 interview reviews for Inter from various job sites, social network groups and forums.
Here are the most frequent job interview questions asked by HR managers during initial phone or onsite interviews. This list does not include technical or factual questions.
10 frequent non-technical questions for Inter:
According to our research, hiring managers looking to fill Inter role ask soft skills interview questions 76% more frequently than for other roles.
1. Tell me about yourself top question
How to answer
Most job candidates expect this to be one of the first interview questions and probably think of it as an “icebreaker” to get the interview started. It is much more than that! It is your opportunity to show the interviewer your relevance for the job. You want the employer to know that you are qualified to do the job, you are interested in doing the job and capable of getting it done.
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About Yourself
What is your current occupation? Define yourself professionally in one statement.
Pick 3 key skills that make you great at your work (your Key Selling Points). How have you applied these skills?
Try to give some numbers to support your statement.
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About The Company
Your first step is to Research the company to find out as much as you can about what they do and their approach to their business and their employees.
Based on what you know about the company and the job description, why are you interested in the position you are applying for?
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About The Fit
Now is the right time to show the fit between your skills and the company's requirements. Your answer works best if you emphasize your relevance. How do you do this? You will have already researched the company, studied the job description to identify their needs and possible pain points and prepared the relevant Star Stories that show how you addressed similar issues in the past. Your next step is to develop your Present-Past-Present approach.
Start with the Present. Focus on the skills and experience from your most recent positions. What has enabled you to get the job done successfully and how this relates to what the employer is looking to accomplish.
Next go back to the Past. Here is where your Star story comes in. Explain how you were able to use your skills and experience to accomplish a task that relates to an area of concern for the employer.
Finally come back to the Present – summarizing the lessons you learned and how they shaped your response and approach today.
Remember, the whole conversation is about the present, not the past. Just one sentence can summarize why your approach works, and its applicability and relevance to this position.
Pro Tip
You can also end with a question like:
“Do you know what the current needs in the company/department are, where my skills and experience can help?”
That can help you learn more about the company and the job, turn the “interrogation” into a conversation and will allow you to relax some tension.
Read our blog post to learn more about how to answer this question.
2. What is your greatest weakness?
How to answer
This question ranks as the most challenging for many people. Fortunately, Mr. Simon is here to help!
Interviewers are not out to trick or trap you! They ask this question to gauge your level of self-awareness, your honesty and openness, and your capability for self-improvement.
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About Yourself
No one is perfect and your interviewer doesn't expect you to be perfect either.
While it is good to be honest and open, it will not help you to put yourself down.
What's important is to find a weakness that you have overcome. How you turned what might be considered a negative into a positive.
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About The Company
Research the company (website, social media, etc) to learn about the company culture.
What personal and professional qualities do they value?
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About The Fit
This is the time to clearly state a true weakness that you have overcome.
Be as specific as possible and stay away from vague cliches like “I work too hard.” It would be difficult for anyone to try and explain how they overcame a weakness like that
Mr. Simon emphasizes the Present-Past-Present method of responding to behavioral questions. When you are asked about your greatest weakness, you should be able to successfully use this approach as well. Here is an example of how someone might answer this question.
Present - "I have always had a fear of public speaking, and believe this may have held me back in my career, especially when having to make presentations to management."
Past - "Last year I learned about Toastmasters International and decided to join this group to help me gain confidence in myself and improve my ability to present to others in just about any situation."
Present - "By overcoming this weakness I believe that it has made me a much stronger candidate for this position, someone you can count on to make presentations to management, conduct training and communicate at a high level."
It's important to show how well you've overcome a weakness by motivating yourself and learning a new skill to grow professionally.
Pro Tip
Use this question to sell yourself!
3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
How to answer
This question belongs to a family of behavioral, or even more precisely, reflective questions.
The interviewer wants to learn two things about you by asking this question.
- They want to know what you think about the job you are applying for. Remember, they are interviewing you for the job that's open right now. Are you a good fit and will you do a good job for them?
- Just as important, they want to get an idea of your ambitions and goals for yourself and if your goals align with their needs, especially going into the future.
In this way the employer should see how you see yourself today, and whether you are ambitious and strive to grow as a professional, and whether you like to learn and develop your skills.
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About Yourself
What challenges do you like overcoming? Where are you starting from and where might you be going?
For example, let's say the position you are applying for is junior accountant. It includes a wide range of tasks such as basic bookkeeping, financial analysis, and reporting. If accounting is your chosen field, then you would most likely want to move in the direction of obtaining your CPA so that you might step up to more responsibility as an accounting manager or senior auditor within the next 5 years. Your responses should make sense in how you see yourself growing in your professional career.
However, at this point, if you are happy just where you are and want to further your current skills, that is also fine as long as there is a growth path for you that can be imagined and described.
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About The Company
Research the company to learn what career opportunities may be available in the department you are applying to, and what the trends are in the company in general.
- Is the business expanding, are they opening new locations, or starting new projects?
- Or are they heavily automating and cutting staff?
Let’s say you are applying for a UX designer position for a brand-new product.
In the future, if the product becomes a success - which is what the company hopes for - the company will hire more designers and you may become a lead designer, or you may become a product manager.
On a side note: If you train your mind to be open to opportunities you will be amazed at how much this world has to offer to you!
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About The Fit
And, of course, try to see where the perfect fit lies between your own potential and aspirations, and the company’s trends and hopes.
However, beware of the risk of showing too much excitement for future opportunities compared to your attitude towards the current position.
As we said earlier, you must show interest and enthusiasm for the position you are applying for. If the interviewer senses that you are more enthusiastic about future growth than about the current position, they may conclude that you are not the right person for the job at hand.
Pro Tip
This question gives you a good opportunity to showcase your Key Selling Points (e.g. “As I am very good at delegating tasks, I can easily see myself leading a team of software testers in the future…”), and end your statement by asking about current initiatives and goals at the company.
In thinking about the possibilities that may lie ahead, you also might want to consider taking a personality test (I recommend 16Personalities which is based on the Myers-Briggs test), research the internet on what career paths are possible with your skills and current job.
It is generally NOT a good idea to say something like:
“Oh, I cannot imagine what happens to me tomorrow, let alone in 5 years”.
This will show you as a person who is unimaginative and not forward-thinking enough to grow with and be a good fit for the company.
4. What is your favorite movie? What do you like about it?
How to answer
What are interviewers looking for with this question?
Perhaps, the question is just an icebreaker, one that gives the interviewer a chance to get to know you better, to see where your interests lie.
Or it’s more likely they want someone who is intelligent, can think on his/her feet and has varied interests all of which might be reflected in your answer about a favorite movie.
They are mostly looking for your reaction to get a better sense of who you are.
Asking this question, they try to understand if you would be a good fit and if they would want to spend their time working with you as a person.
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About Yourself
- What film left a lasting impression on you, one that you have watched and enjoyed over and over?
- What was particularly interesting (or useful) that you found in it?
- Were there scenes that moved you, or moments that left you at the edge of your seat, or situations that changed your way of thinking for the better?
If you think carefully, this seemingly unimportant question may tell the interviewer a lot about how you will fit the company, based on your interests.
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About The Company
Do your research about the company.
Read carefully the “About Us” page of their website and the job description.
Is your personality a match for the company culture?
If you know exactly who you will be interviewed by - find his/her profile on social networks – maybe you will find his/her interests and even names of films the person likes. It will be a more successful interview if you have common interests with the person who interviews you.
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About The Fit
Do not look for ideal answers because there are none.
Unless you have a particular film that is your absolute favorite that clearly reflects on your tastes and personality, there are few people that can think of only one such movie.
For most of us a better (and more realistic) answer would be to say something like
“I enjoy many different movies and cannot pick out just one. I really like watching adventures like the Indiana Jones and Star Wars series, but I also like some of the older classics like the Maltese Falcon and the Wizard of Oz.”
This will let the interviewer know something about your tastes and may lead to further conversation.
Pro Tip
Remember: you are who you are. Be honest, enthusiastic, and passionate with your answer.
People who are passionate about things are interesting for hiring managers.
5. Describe a time when you had to overcome a significant obstacle on a job
How to answer
Why do employers ask this question?
It is designed to help the interviewer understand your problem solving and decision making skills. They want to know that they’re hiring someone who can think on their feet and who is resilient when facing challenges.
Think of this question as a great opportunity to turn what may have been a big challenge into a great accomplishment on your part.
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About Yourself
The employer is looking for the skills needed to overcome a significant obstacale on the job. This is not the place to discuss the ordinary problems that you might face on a daily basis at work.
Start with recalling a few examples of real obstacles and challenges you faced. For each of them, consider:
- What was the project or task you were trying to accomplish?
- What was the obstacle? This can be a specific problem related to your job or a higher-order issue across the organization.
- What steps did you take to address the issue?
- What decisions did you have to make?
- How did the company benefit from your decisions?
- How would you describe your approach, or what lessons have you learned?
Be careful how you respond to this question. The problem you faced and resolved for the company should not have been of your own making.
See this as your chance to show how you stepped up by turning to your skills and inner strength to find the right solutions.
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About The Company
When you research the company, try and find out what kind of challenges they are facing. Try to find out what they need in terms of problem resolution.
Search for online reviews, complaints and any other useful resources. What problems and obstacles can the employees face with this position?
Pay particular attention to the requirements listed in the job description. It is quite possible that you have a a STAR story about overccoming an obstacle that relates directly to one of their needs. This would be a great opportunity to answer this question.
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About The Fit
This is your opportunity to showcase your problem-solving skills, resilience, and strength of character. We recommend that you use the Present-Past-Present method to answer this question. The following is an example of how this method might be applied for the position of Blog Writer. The job description mentions that a successful candidate must have experience working “in a dynamic environment.”
Starting with the Present you might say "I really enjoy working in a fast-paced and dynamic environment" (repeating the words used in the job description is reinforcing to the interviewer).
Next go to a Past situation in which you had to write an article on extremely short notice. Your boss came to you at the last moment because your coworker failed to complete a very important assignment. The pressure was on but you worked extra hours to prepare the article successfully and on time. This story shows your sense of responsibility, ability to achieve results under stress, your willingness to go the extra mile, and your problem-solving skills.
Finally come back to the Present to again reiterate how working under pressure is a skill that you are proud of and you will bring to any assignment for the employer.
Pro Tip
This question is not about your past, it's how you deal with things that will happen in the future, so try to keep your answer short and focused.
After all, the interviewer is really looking for what you took away from the situation and doesn’t need to know the full backstory of what happened.
Use the STAR method to prepare your story and practice it so that you can stay within 1-2 minutes.
Make sure to show that you remained positive when overcoming a hurdle at work. Positive attitudes lead to positive outcomes.
6. Why did you choose your major?
How to answer
Everyone has his/her reasons to pick a major.
There are hundreds and hundreds of careers to choose from and most people pick a major that will give them a background in the career they want to pursue.
When you come to a job interview you will be definitely asked this question.
The interviewers are seeking to understand your underlying motivations for selecting this career.
It is also a good question for them to learn how much planning and thought actually went into your career selection. It is a window into your personality and interests.
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About Yourself
This is your chance to highlight your strengths and how your major prepared you for your future plans.
Your answer to this question should reflect your passion and interest in the field you chose. Be genuine.
There’s every reason to display your passions and interest in your major. They will give interviewers a sense of who you really are.
Think about who or what influenced your career choice and include the positive influences, not the negative ones.
- How does this tie into your major?
- How will you bring your passion and unique knowledge to the new company?
Emphasize your strong people skills and excellent communication skills, allowing you to connect with others.
Think of the skills and experiences you gained through your major, think back to assignments and projects from your studies, internships and previous jobs. Consider the skills you developed working on those projects.
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About The Company
Write down a list of skills and experiences you gained through your major studies.
Then, look at the job listing itself.
Match up any of your skills and experiences that relate to the requirements of the job. How can you apply them to your new position, as well as the future?
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About The Fit
Use this question as an opportunity to mention a few skills related to your chosen major that would also be relevant in the workplace.
Point to a good culture fit.
Be positive, showing your enthusiasm. Let them know you're excited to be where you are.
Discuss what you enjoy about the industry you’re considering and why you could see yourself working in it. Even if your major is not directly related to the job, you can likely find connections between the two.
This is also a chance to explain other ways you have developed skills that will fulfill the role you're applying for.
For example, perhaps you were a biology major who is applying for a job in computer programming. You might explain that you took a number of online and extracurricular classes on programming to develop the skills needed for the job.
Pro Tip
Let your past decisions and accomplishments shine through. Once you nail your interview, you'll be on your way to a successful career path.
7. What's your ideal workplace?
How to answer
This question has everything to do with the topic of culture: the interviewer is trying to understand whether you, as a candidate, are a good cultural fit for the company.
On the other hand, you want to know how closely this potential workplace corresponds with your expectations.
You don’t want to find yourself in an extremely challenging and, possibly, hostile environment, right?
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About Yourself
To help you better picture what your ideal workplace should look like, ask yourself the following questions:
- What do I need to be happy at my workplace?
- What would be the physical environment I would most enjoy working in?
- What am I passionate about? What motivates me?
- What impact does my work have on the world?
- Does my work support me enough (including income, vacation, health plan)?
- Can I build strong, friendly, and quality relationships with my colleagues?
- What opportunities does my work give me personally and professionally?
Name a few key points that describe the working environment which are most important to you. You can come up with your own, or choose the top 3-4 from the list below:
- working in a team or independently
- stability
- caring
- learning new things
- agility
- creative atmosphere or competitive atmosphere
- friendly
- flat structure
- hierarchical structure
- modern
- conservative
- clear directions
- initiative is encouraged.
Similarly, list the qualities in the workplace that you find highly frustrating.
These may be either things you find totally unacceptable (e.g. abuse of power by management, harassment etc.) and would walk away from, or things that you consider destructive but you can turn them around (e.g. “I think demotivated employees are bad for the workplace, but as a manager, one of my key skills is to promote engagement and encourage employees”).
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About The Company
Do your research about the company.
Study available information about the company’s culture and its mission.
- How does the company value its employees and how do the employees value one another?
- What relations do they have with their customers and suppliers?
- There may be certain pain points in the company; do you think you can tolerate them, or maybe even help turn them around?
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About The Fit
If 3-4 (or even more) key points from your working environment list correspond with the company’s culture, there is most likely a good cultural fit.
If you are able to, explain to the interviewer how your skills can help alleviate some cultural pain points that may exist in the company. Give an example.
Pro Tip
Optionally, you can end with a question like
“Do you think such responsibilities will be part of this position?"
That can help you learn more about the company and the job, turn the "interrogation" into a conversation, and will allow you to relax some tension.
8. What skills are you looking to develop on your next job? Why?
How to answer
When employers ask you about skills you would like to develop, they are looking for honesty in the way you answer.
A common target of the question is to discover how motivated you are to extend yourself. If you are willing to learn, then you are probably more motivated to do the job well.
They might also be trying to determine whether you’ll be a good long-term fit for the company. Are you looking for an opportunity to grow with an organization – or will your plans take you to another employer before long?
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About Yourself
Answering the question, reflect on yourself. Show that you are concerned and active about your own evolution.
You can indicate how development has worked for you in the past, give examples.
- What qualities do you wish to develop in yourself both professionally and personally?
- What kind of culture do you want to work in?
- What motivates you?
- What qualities do you feel make strong, healthy relationships?
- What skills do you admire most in your role models?
And probably the most important is: What will help you to achieve your future goals?
Choose something you’re already pretty good at, but still trying to improve even more. Maybe it is something that you learned a long time ago but haven’t used in recent jobs very often?
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About The Company
Do your research and learn as much as possible about the organization and the career path you might forge there. Read the company’s story on their website, review their LinkedIn page, explore their blog.
What personal and professional qualities do they value and what can you learn if they hire you?
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About The Fit
No matter what skills you say you want to improve, however, make sure that you follow it up with what you’re doing about it.
Focus on a work skill that may not be critical to your industry or job level and demonstrate how you would like to develop this skill further, implying you already have a level of competency. This way you won't be sounding negative about yourself.
You could say something like “Coworkers often come to me for advice on how to write or format a document they are working on. I know that I am good at this (that’s why they come to me in the first place), but I have no formal training on mentoring others. I would like to take a course or two on mentoring others that would help them while also improving my own skills in this area.”
Say you are willing to learn new things and take on new challenges. Show employers that you’re self-motivated and actively looking for ways to improve your skills and value in your career.
Pro Tip
If you choose one of the more common working skills such as networking, presentation, mediation, technical, coaching or mentoring, make sure that they are not anything that’s vital or crucial to the job you’re interviewing for.
For example, if you are applying for a manager position, you don’t want to say that you need to work on developing your supervisory skills.
9. What one skill do you possess that you think will be the most important to a hiring manager?
How to answer
Employers place a lot of emphasis on finding candidates with the right skills and competencies for their organizations.
Depending on the career sector and profession you choose to work in, there are very specific skills, abilities and knowledge needed to do the job well.
The interviewer asks this question to make sure you will be a good fit with your skills and experience and will be a great addition to their team.
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About Yourself
If you’re not sure which skill would be best to share, consider your previous work experiences.
- Where did you excel?
- What would your peers say you’re especially proficient at?
- Have you ever received recognition for meeting a particular objective or excelling in a specific area?If so, your skills likely assisted you in reaching this achievement.
- What personal talents or attributes helped you meet that milestone?
Ask former coworkers or managers to help you to determine your strengths that made you unique. Imagine yourself as a manager who needs an employee to fill the position you are currently applying for.
What would you as the manager expect from a candidate for this job?
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About The Company
Start by reviewing the job description and making note of any required skills or abilities that match your own.
The job posting is a great guide for what employers want to see in candidates. In addition to job requirements, consider the depiction of the company and its culture in the job description.
Be sure to research the company by reviewing its website for additional information to get to know what skill you should mention.
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About The Fit
It’s important to highlight your best hard and soft skills (your Key Selling Points) to position yourself as a well-rounded candidate.
Though you may have several different areas of strength, include only those that are relevant to the job. Adaptability, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and effective communication – it is the list of most common soft skills that can be helpful in any job, so you can choose the one to share with the hiring manager that best describes you.
But to make your answer stronger, the skill should be specific to the job you are applying for. Be certain to give examples of how this skill helped you in your last job.
Pro Tip
It is important to be able to distinguish your skills from personal qualities. The first are acquired in the process of work and training, and the second characterize you as a person.
10. What has been your biggest professional disappointment?
How to answer
Interviewers ask this kind of question to understand how you perceived and dealt with adversity.
They are looking for how you handled the situation and what you may have learned from the experience.
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About Yourself
Take a little time to understand what you were feeling and why you were feeling that way when you were disappointed in the workplace.
Select something significant in your professional life where someone or something didn’t meet your expectations.
- What did you do to handle it?
- What professional learning have you acquired?
- What would your approach be if a similar situation repeats itself in the future?
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About The Company
Research the company and its culture; review the job description, as it will list the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of the job.
Browse the company’s website, blog and LinkedIn profile for previous projects, achievements and client testimonials. Read news articles about the organization and online employee reviews of the company.
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About The Fit
Use the STAR method to discuss a work-related disappointment.
It is best to avoid an example that's closely related to the responsibilities of the job for which you are applying.
If possible, the situation you describe should be one that was something that was beyond your control.
Be positive about the experience and accept any personal responsibility you may have had, if applicable. This quality is highly valued at any job.
Show acceptance and no negative feelings. There is nothing wrong with admitting to having professional disappointments; you will be seen as an honest and confident candidate.
Discuss a disappointment in the context of a learning experience, describing your approaches to dealing with the challenges and, if possible, relate them to the new company’s culture.
The following is an example of a professional disappointment and how it was handled:
“The team that I led was tasked with developing a system needed to account for new sales in the EU. The team worked diligently for over 6 months, and the project was nearly complete when the company pulled the plug due to budget constraints and a change in direction requested by our strategic partners in France and Germany. Although initially disappointed, my director and I worked with senior management to scale back the original scope of the project and successfully redirected it for a more targeted use by our US and Canadian units. We were able to turn a disappointment into a positive.”
Pro Tip
Every company wants its team to see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.
Convince the potential employer that you possess that mentality through this answer, and you will have won this round.
If you are someone who has persevered in the most challenging and uncertain of times, then you have what it takes to help the new company do the same.
You don't have to be alone in your job search!
Mr. Simon invites you to join the Friends of Mr. Simon Meetup Group that supports both individuals seeking their next job role and working professionals. Members of our network come together to learn and practice new skills and network with others through our regular interactive events where they establish meaningful connections and have a chance to promote their personal brand and stand out in the marketplace.
Group membership is free of charge, courtesy of Mr. Simon.
Join our Friends of Mr. Simon Meetup Group to become part of our growing and supportive community!
This page has been updated on February 23, 2024.
